Refinancing Home Mortgage, Avoid the Traps, Get Expert Advice » Lower Mortgage Rates

Home Mortgages for Dummies

Robert — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:53:39 +0000

If you’re looking for home mortgages to purchase your home or to refinance your existing mortgage there are several things you need to know about home mortgage rate quotes to avoid paying too much. 2010 has seen some changes to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act; however, these changes are still too little too late when it comes to protecting homeowners from abusive lending practices. Here are several of my best mortgage tips to help you get a wholesale mortgage rate for your home mortgages while avoiding unnecessary junk fees and save as much as $1200 per year.

Home Mortgages for Dummies

Everyone wants the lowest mortgage rates for their home loans and the Internet makes it very easy to shop for mortgage rate quotes. One thing that you might not know about those mortgage rate quotes you find on the Internet and get from your local mortgage companies is that they’ve all been marked up to create a commission for the person arranging your home loan. What’s wrong with that you might ask, I mean mortgage brokers gotta eat too right? That’s why you pay an origination fee for the mortgage broker or company arranging your home loan. Origination fees paid out of pocket don’t drive your mortgage payment up, taking cash out of your pocket for no good reason. Do you really want to pay that person’s commission over and over every month that you keep your home loan?

Beware Yield Spread Premium

Driving your mortgage payment up unnecessarily is what taking a higher mortgage rate to pay the broker commission does. One of the changes for 2010 in the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act is that mortgage brokers have to include Yield Spread Premium with their loan origination fee in your loan documents. This fee for markup of your mortgage rate has always been on the HUD-1 statement; however, shady mortgage brokers explain it away by telling you that because the fee is coming out of the lender’s pocket they don’t need to worry about it. There is nothing in the law now that prevents loan originators from doing this so it’s pretty much business as usual for dishonest mortgage brokers.

How to Avoid Unnecessary Mortgage Rate Markup

The good news for you is that you don’t have to be a financial guru to get a wholesale mortgage rate that doesn’t include this unnecessary markup or junk fees. It all comes down to finding the right mortgage broker for the job, one willing to work for a flat and perfectly reasonable origination fee of one percent. That’s what you want to pay…one percent up front that won’t drive up your mortgage rate and monthly payment for no good reason.

Finding the right mortgage broker for the job isn’t hard either…there are plenty of honest, hardworking mortgage brokers out there with families to feed just like yours. Local mortgage brokers are almost always better… local, self-employed mortgage brokers don’t have the costly overhead that comes with a nationwide company. You can get started by checking out the mortgage brokers in the phone book. Tell them that you understand how Yield Spread Premium works and simply will not accept any mortgage loan that includes this markup. Offer to pay a flat origination fee of one percent and you’ll be well on your way to getting a wholesale mortgage rate for your next home mortgage loan.

You can learn more about Yield Spread Premium and how it drives up your mortgage payment unnecessarily by checking out my free underground mortgage refinancing videos.

Here’s a sample of what you get for free today… this module explains why 95% of your neighbors overpay for their home loans.

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30 Year Mortgage Rates

Robert — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:43:46 +0000

If you are in the process of refinancing your home and are searching for information about mortgage rates there are several things you need to know about the rate quotes you receive. Most homeowners don’t realize that 90% of the rate quotes they receive from mortgage brokers and on the Internet include commission based markup included to make someone money from your loan. Understanding mortgage quotes and learning to recognize this markup will help you avoid paying too much for your next mortgage loan.

Today’s 30 Year Fixed Rate

The 30 year fixed mortgage rate has been creeping up slightly to 6.0%. This rate does include Yield Spread Premium which is intended to give a commission to the person arranging your loan. Yield Spread Premium by itself is not necessarily a bad thing; only when it is abused could you wind up paying hundreds of dollars a month unnecessarily.

What is Yield Spread Premium?

Yield Spread Premium is a percentage of your loan amount created when the mortgage company or broker arranging your loan locks and closes with a higher than market interest rate. Suppose your lender approves you for a mortgage rate of 6.0% but the broker closes you at a higher rate of 6.5%. This creates .5% of Yield Spread Premium and brings the broker a commission of 2% of your loan amount. Did your mortgage broker overcharge you? It depends on how your loan was structured and whether or not the broker told you they were marking up your mortgage rate.

Mortgage Broker Compensation

Brokers are compensated in two ways. They can charge you an origination fee for their part in arranging your loan or receive compensation from the lender with Yield Spread Premium. If the broker is charging you an origination fee for their services a reasonable fee to pay is 1-1.5% of your loan amount. Mortgage brokers typically receive one percent of your loan amount for every .25% your loan closes about the interest rate offered by the lender. If this is paid in lieu of an origination fee or used to pay your closing costs Yield Spread Premium can be a good thing; however, it is often abused when the broker charges you an origination fee and pockets Yield Spread Premium without your knowledge.

You can learn more about refinancing your home loan without paying too much in broker fees including ways to recognize and avoid lender junk fees by registering for my free video tutorial.

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Lower Mortgage Rates

Robert — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:09:34 +0000

If you’re in the market for a new mortgage and are searching for lower mortgage rates, there are several things you need to know about the rate quotes you receive. Many homeowners think that comparing offers from several different lenders is all they need to get the best deal; however, what most people don’t understand is that they are simply comparing retail mortgage rates with the same markup. If you really want lower mortgage rates you’ll need to find someone willing to offer you wholesale rates without paying garbage fees. Here are several tips to help you refinance your mortgage with a wholesale mortgage rate and save thousands of dollars in the process.

What Are Wholesale Mortgage Rates?

Wholesale mortgage rates are offered by a certain type of mortgage lender that does not do business with the public directly. These wholesale mortgage lenders offer their best rates to mortgage brokers and other retail mortgage companies that sell loans to the public for a commission. Many people think that by contacting one of these lenders directly they can refinance with a wholesale rate; however, wholesale lenders have retail branches that deal with the public and do not offer wholesale mortgage rates. In order to refinance your loan with a wholesale rate you’ll need to enlist the help of an honest mortgage broker willing to give you access to these rates.

Mortgage Brokers Work For a Commission

The problem with refinancing your home loan with a mortgage broker comes from the way that brokers are compensated. Mortgage brokers are paid for their services in two ways. Most brokers charge you an origination fee for their services. This fee could be one percent or more of your loan amount; however, one percent is a reasonable amount to pay for your mortgage broker’s services. The second method your broker receives compensation is from kickbacks the lender pays for overcharging you with your mortgage interest rate. Many brokers mark up the mortgage rate you qualified because lenders pay a commission of one percent for every .25% they overcharge you. This commission is called Yield Spread Premium and is the reason that most homeowners overpay when refinancing their mortgage loans.

Yield Spread Premium Can Be Avoided When Refinancing

Most brokers get defensive or even angry when questioned about Yield Spread Premium. And why wouldn’t they? This markup of your mortgage interest rate can double, even triple their commission on your loan. You can avoid paying a higher mortgage rate with Yield Spread Premium by finding a mortgage broker willing to work for the origination fee alone, without this kickback from the mortgage lender.

Shop Around For Honest Mortgage Brokers

You can start your search for an honest broker to refinance your mortgage by searching the Internet for an “Upfront Mortgage Broker” in your state. Upfront mortgage brokers charge a flat fee for loan origination without charging Yield Spread Premium on your loan. The Upfront Mortgage Broker’s Association maintains a registry of brokers on their website upfrontmortgagebrokers.org that is categorized by State.

If there are no members in your State you can find the right broker by contacting mortgage brokers found in the phone book. Start by telling these brokers that you understand Yield Spread Premium and will not accept any loan offers that include this markup.

It is usually easier to negotiate this type of deal with a mortgage broker that has their own business as those working for a large brokerage firm may not have the authority to give you the deal you are looking for. You can learn more about finding the right kind of mortgage broker to refinance your home loan without paying Yield Spread Premium and other garbage fees by requesting a free mortgage refinancing DVD.

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